Most applicants come away from their first med school interview saying, “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” As with many things in life, the anticipation of a stressful event can sometimes be worse than the event itself. Although many med schools work hard to make interviewing applicants feel relaxed, this doesn’t…
The MMI: Everything You Need to Know
The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) has become a very common med school interview format – one that is meant to provide a fairer, more comprehensive assessment of applicants. It began to grow in popularity after 2004, when Canada’s McMaster University published a study illustrating the flaws in the traditional interview format, especially in the ways…
All You Need to Know About Residency Applications and Matching
You’re busy juggling med school and life, and if you don’t stay organized, one of those balls is going to come crashing down. Let’s take a look at what you need to do so you can stay focused, motivated, and completely on top of your juggling act. What are the Components of a Residency Application?…
Make the Most of Your Experiences for ERAS
The 2024 ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) application has some big changes for residency and fellowship candidates. Some of the most significant are a limit on the number of experiences one can list, a new section for one’s most meaningful experiences, and a chance to explain “impactful experiences” that have affected one’s career path. This…
First Drafts of Residency Personal Statements: Let Yourself Go
For many residency applicants, writing the first draft of their personal statement is probably the most difficult part of the entire application process. And the most difficult part of writing that first draft is often getting the first few words on the page. Don’t fret – even accomplished novelists and famous journalists struggle to get…
Teamwork in Medical School Admissions: How to Show You’ve Got It
In this post: Why do medical schools value teamwork? When the Institute of Medicine Committee on Quality of Health Care in America published its 2000 report “To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System,” the authors attributed most medical errors to two key deficits: (1) a lack of communication and (2) dysfunctional teamwork. It…
How to Answer the AMCAS Other Impactful Experiences Question (Formerly the Statement of Disadvantage)
If you have experienced any form of severe hardship – at any time in your life – medical schools want to know. Prior to the 2023-2024 cycle, AMCAS allowed candidates to self-identify as a disadvantaged applicant because of social, economic, or educational circumstances. Aiming to leave behind the negative connotations of the term “disadvantaged,” this…
Applying to Medical School with a Low Science GPA
The process of applying to medical school is stressful. And since selection committees are looking for evidence that you are ready for medical school, applying with a low science GPA can make the process even more nerve-wracking. If you have a low science (or BCPM [biology, chemistry, physics, and math]) GPA, you have two options….
Four Tips for Applying as an Underrepresented Applicant in Medicine
Each year, I talk to applicants who say they don’t want to make a fuss about their ethnic or racial identity. Their hesitation usually comes from the desire to be judged purely on their own merits. While this is a noble principle, it’s important to look at why having underrepresented groups in medicine is desirable,…
The AMCAS Primary “Deadline”
In just a few days, many of you will want to submit your medical school primary application. You’ve probably heard that you need to click “send” on the first day possible – May 30, 2023 – if you want your best shot. But just how true is that? The AMCAS primary deadline: Myth vs. reality…
How to Improve Your Experiences for Your Med School Reapplication
One factor that can seriously hurt your chances of getting accepted to med school is a lack of substantive, ongoing service experiences, both clinical and nonclinical. Medical schools want students who are passionate and committed – to the world around them as well as to medicine. The AAMC says: “Most volunteer experiences are valuable and…
2023-24 AMCAS Work and Activities Section: What to Include (With Examples)
The AMCAS Work and Activities section is where you can share all your awards, memberships, research, clinical experiences, paid employment, publications, leadership, extracurricular activities, volunteer work and – as of this year – advocacy and social justice efforts. You have a limit of 15 activities that you can include in the AMCAS application. The types…
Rejected from Medical School? Three Tips for a Stronger Reapplication
You worked your tail off as an undergrad to earn an amazing GPA, took MCAT review courses to get a high score, and engaged in many hours of clinical experience and community service, but you were still rejected from medical school! Where did you go wrong? How can you get it right next time? Three…
How to Prepare for Medical School: Four Important Things to Know Before Classes Start
Before he was Joshua Wienczkowski, MD, a prevention and addiction medicine specialist, he was a premed juggling coursework and extracurriculars and trying to make the right choices for his best shot at medical school. During his first year at James H. Quillen College of Medicine of East Tennessee State University, he looked back on these…
It’s A Match 2023
Each year on Match Day, thousands of medical school students and graduates discover where they will receive their specialty training. The matching process, overseen by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), is determined by an algorithm that pairs eligible applicants with available residency training positions. With a record 42,952 applicants for 40,375 certificated positions, Match…
What Is a Good MCAT Score for Getting into Medical School?
You’ve spent months in an MCAT review course, taken practice test after practice test, and finally sat for the exam. Your results are in. Are they good enough to get you into your target medical school? Let’s take a look at what your scores mean. MCAT scores and your grades are weighted differently. The primary…
Med School Applications Kick Off: Ten Tips to Get You Through the Season
Getting ready to apply to medical school? This can be a hectic time as you try to stay on top of everything. Here are ten tips to help you hit the ground running: Get cozy with the AMCAS/AACOMAS. These two services – the American Medical Colleges Application Service (AMCAS) and the Association of American Colleges…
When Will Medical Schools Give You an Answer?
This post addresses some of the big questions on med school applicants’ minds: How long does a medical school have to invite an applicant to submit a secondary application? (Go there) When to expect interview invitations for medical school (or a response of ‘thanks, but no thanks’?) (Go there) Final interview invite date and update…
GPA Issues When Applying to Med School: What to do With a “W”
Almost everybody has a blemish on their GPA. Usually it’s a failed class or a semester of poor grades. But there’s also the issue of how a “W” on your transcript will affect your chance of admission to medical school. The truth is that withdrawing from one or two classes is not going to hurt…
13 Essential Do’s and Don’ts for Your Residency Personal Statement
Residency applicants can submit applications via ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) starting September 7th. Don’t wait until the last minute – get cracking on those residency essays now! Why is your residency essay so important? Your personal statement is a vital part of your residency application; it’s where you’ll explain why you’ve chosen your specialty…